Irene Burdese holds a Master's degree in Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures from the University of Turin, with a focus on English, German, and Scandinavian languages. Her thesis on the comparative translations of Sigrid Undset's Kristin Lavransdatter in English, Italian, and Norwegian reflects her deep interest in Norwegian language and literature. After completing her Master's degree, she earned a specialization in literary translation and taught Norwegian to university students and privately in Italy. Together with Cathrine Rysst, she co-authored Lær deg norsk!, the first Norwegian language textbook created specifically for Italian learners.
After multiple stays in Norway, including a year at the University of Oslo through the Erasmus Programme and numerous summer courses at Norwegian universities, Irene decided to pursue her teaching certification in Norway. She has been teaching English, Norwegian, and Norwegian as a Second Language in high schools in Norway since 2018.